A greedy carer stole more than £4,600 from the purses and pockets of frail and ill pensioners to fund a luxury trip to New Zealand.

Donna Sams, 31, exploited the trust of the vulnerable pensioners she cared for as she repeatedly helped herself to their cash - because she found it 'easy' to rob them.

During her thieving spree, Sams tried
to gain the sympathy of her elderly clients by inventing a daughter and
saying she was saving up money to visit her.

But she was unmasked as a fraud after
police found out used the stolen money to purchase a luxury holiday in
New Zealand with a luxury stopover in Sydney, Australia where it is
believed she saw Sydney Opera House.

At Carlisle Crown Court Sams, of Carlisle, worked for the Bluebird Care Agency pleaded guilty to ten charges of theft.

One 86-year-old woman who suffered from memory loss, diminished eyesight and poor hearing would sit chatting to Sams - not realising her carer was systematically rifling her purse for bundles of cash including £280, £150 and £80.

Another victim lost £900 to Sams whilst lying seriously ill and helpless awaiting the arrival of an ambulance.

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Cumbria Police said she had been caught red handed after taking one vulnerable and elderly victim to the bank in a bid to withdraw thousands of pounds.

Inquiries found knowing that her victim did not have the mental capacity to understand the value of the money or what she was doing with it.

Following her arrest in March 2012, police worked closely with Bluebird Care Agency and Adult Social Care in order to identify additional victims and eventually uncovered evidence that proved Sams stole a total of £4,647 from six elderly people.

She now faces a Proceeds of Crime hearing.

After the case Detective Constable Carolyn Willacy of Cumbria Police said: 'This was a particularly difficult investigation as Sams deliberately targeted her victims by choosing the most vulnerable in our society, knowing that her victims would be unaware, too afraid, or too confused to report when money went missing.

'She was a callous, heartless individual who has shown no remorse at all and only admitted to the thefts when faced with irrefutable evidence.

'When later interviewed by police and asked why she had chosen to steal from this particularly vulnerable patient, Sams said ‘because it was easy'.

'She manipulated and deceived her employers and colleagues as well as those she was paid to care for.

'She began a web of lies to gain the sympathy and trust of her elderly clients, telling them she was saving to fly back to New Zealand to see her young daughter - the investigation proved that this daughter does not exist.

'All of the elderly victims we identified live with very few luxuries and do not have the means to replace the stolen money.

'As Sams has undermined their ability to manage their own finances, she has taken from them the little independence they had left.

'Police, along with partner agencies, are dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.

'We will do everything we can to keep them safe and will pursue those who target them to bring them before the courts.

'It is important that we safeguard the people in our neighbourhoods who need it most so if you have suspicions that they are being targeted by criminals, please come forward and contact police.

'In this case, a Proceeds of crime order has been made so that Cumbria Constabulary can work on the victims' behalf to get the money back that they deserve.'